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DAMN!
Still no costume ideas and time is running out. I have a black and silver lightning bolt dress that could pass as 70's glam-rock. Maybe I could wear it with a long brown wig and no make-up while choking on a ham sandwich and go as Mama Kiss? (As if anyone remembers who Mama Cass is or how she died.)
FRIGHTFUL!
This is scarier than anything you'll see on Hallowe'en. Even his supporters admit that Obama governs like a conservative democrat or republican lite. Corporations do very well under this type of government and their profits are soaring. But working people? Or people looking for work? Not so much. So after two terms of republican George W. Bush and two terms of Obama the Republican lite, many will have forgotten what prosperity ever even felt like. Poverty and unemployment coupled with cuts to programs like food stamps, Social Security and Medicaid will be the new normal, if they aren't already. 16 years of this before Hillary takes over with more of the same. Prosperity. How can you miss something many will never even have had in their lifetime?
THESE CAUGHT MY EYE
Hmmmm. Who was president between 2009 and 2012? Whoever it was, he sure did the wealthiest 1% proud. While the rest of us were fooled into voting for him thinking he might do something for us and that Romney was the 1%'s candidate.
AWWWWW!
OK, this is totally adorable. And that's from someone who doesn't usually share cute animal videos. But if they had zoomed out to a wider shot, you would be able to see that I was rimming this porcupine with a mouthful of tiger balm.
BUN-BUN UPDATE
I shot a scene last night with Heather Graham last night for an upcoming film. She's gone from Boogie Nights to Booger Nights! I look forward to shooting day 2. Heather could not be a sweeter gal. I was really nervous that the director might turn me away on sight since she and I look so much alike. KIDDING!
BOY GEORGE: MY GOD
I'm delighted to be name-checked in this new song from Boy George's new album. Check it out!
"Lady Bunny got a halo.....New York hold your wig case the wind blows."
9 HUGE POP STARS WHO ARE NOW CRAP
I found this interesting. I have liked some songs by many of these artists in the past but their newer stuff is lame. I don't like the use of the word relevant because if it's good music, I don't really care if it's a fresh message and I'm not that lyrically-oriented. But Beyonce is a perfect example. Two tracks were leaked and her fans were so horrified that they yanked the album. And the two leaked tracks were supposed to be the best two on the album! With all Beyonce's money and access to the best songwriters and producers, she comes out with material that is so poor that it actually offends her own fans? It's almost as if they get paid having the song on a commercial (like Applause) and mention Patron in the lyrics or get paid for product placement in the video, so the songs have made a profit before they're even released.
MORE: GIGWISE
THE ONION COMMEMORATES LOU REED'S PASSING
Today Particularly Rough Day For East Village Junkie Transvestite
MORE: THEONION
I SPY A HORRIBLE PRESIDENT!
If you support Obama, you support a dirty liar. He just told Germany chancellor Angela Merkel that he wasn't aware that the NSA had been spying on her for years. In fact, he had been aware of it since he was briefed in 2010. And the US had been monitoring her since before she was even in office. We also spied on her predecessor--get this--after he refused (with very good reasons) to succumb to US pressure for him support the Iraq war! Remember the Iraq war--everyone now agrees that we shouldn't have gone in there and it left us broke. Germany is an ally and we're spying on them?
As Bernie Sanders says, "Countries throughout the world have got to work together in strengthening the global economy, combatting terrorism and addressing the planetary crisis of global warming. The United States can't lead these efforts if our allies don't trust us." NSA spying has reached an epidemic under Obama--even forcing communications giants to monitor every communication of American citizens like you who aren't suspected of anything and heads of states we're friendly with. What defense will the Obama apologists come up with the defend his actions against the countries we're supposed to be working together with? That this is George Bush's mess that Obama's still cleaning up? That Republicans in Congress forced him to spy or they'd shut down the government ?Or that it's ok to spy on Old Europe?
MORE: HUFFPO
DUCHESS OF ALBA HAS A TWIN
R.I.P. MARSHA WALLIS
She fascinated me on the Bob Newhart Show as the sassy receptionist. A very skeletal face but a winning comic timing.
THIS CHER CLIP IS AWFUL BUT GENIUS
Love the entrance, Bob Mackie costumes and dancers in black wigs and beards. But the choreography is so complicated that she seems to be focusing more on getting through it than selling the song. And the switch back and forth from the 2 songs is madness.
CHASE BANK GETS OFF EASY WITH $13 BILLION FINE
GREAT NEWS! Chase bank has been forced to pay a $13 billion fine for it's role in creating the mortgage crisis. The bad news? While it may be the largest fine ever, it's actually letting them off easy. And why would the government let them off easy? Because they've bought the Obama. Chase's fine, according to this expert, should have been 22 times bigger. A $13 billion fine is a drop in the bucket for Chase, so the message to big banks from Obama is DO THE CRIME, PAY A SMALL FINE. Do you get let off easy if you commit fraud? How about a massive scale fraud which forces tons of people nationwide from their homes? Not if you're in with Obama. Somehow, this article claims that this paltry fine is the beginning of Obama's crackdown on Wall Street is picking up steam. But also notes:
"The history of the Obama administration is the they make these announcements of big numbers, but they do not benefit homeowners," says Bruce Marks, the CEO of the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, a major housing counseling group.
The NY Times has called Chase head Jamie DImon "Obama's favorite banker". Dimon has close ties with the Obama administration, visited the White House 16 times and you may recall this exchange on The View.
WIKI: On the May 15, 2012, episode of ABC's The View, Obama responded to a question from Whoopi Goldberg regarding JPMorgan Chase's recently publicized $2 billion trading losses by defending Dimon against allegations of irresponsibility, saying, "first of all, JP Morgan is one of the best managed banks there is. Jamie Dimon, the head of it, is one of the smartest bankers we've got."
As the nation struggles to come back from a recession, I'd prefer to see Obama side with average Americans who lost their homes than dishonest fat cats. But crooks tend to stick together.
MORE: MOTHERJONES
PLEASE SIGN!
1 in 4 corporations pays nothing in taxes. But they sure pay our government officials off to keep this dirty deal in place. Meanwhile, we're told that our Social Security and Medicaid must be cut. So that corporations can pay NOTHING in taxes. Bernie Sanders also breaks down what chained CPI is, which even "democrat" Obama has suggested making. Bless Bernie for standing up for working people.
BERNIE SANDERS: They're at it again.
Billionaires like the Koch Brothers, Pete Peterson, Stanley Druckenmiller and others are leading the charge to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
If they succeed, millions of senior citizens, working families, disabled veterans and children will suffer. We must not allow that to happen.
Today, the middle class is disappearing, real unemployment is extremely high, poverty is increasing and working families throughout the country are struggling to keep their heads above water economically. Meanwhile, the gap between the very rich and everyone else is growing wider and wider and the wealthiest people and the largest corporations are doing phenomenally well.
We must not balance the budget on the backs of working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor.
As Vermont's senator, I have the honor of serving on the Budget Conference Committee which will be negotiating a new federal budget over the next few months -- and where I am fearful that a deal could be struck to slash Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
As the founder of the Defending Social Security Caucus, please stand with me, our friends at Social Security Works and our coalition partners in demanding; "No grand bargain in exchange for cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits."
Let's be clear. Despite right-wing rhetoric:
Social Security is not going broke. According to the Social Security Administration, Social Security has a surplus today of $2.8 trillion and can pay out every benefit owed to every eligible person for the next 20 years.
Social Security has not contributed to the deficit. Social Security is funded independently by FICA taxes which are paid by workers and their employers.
The so-called chained-CPI, which recalculates how COLA's are formulated, is not a "modest tweak." If the chained CPI went into effect today, a senior aged 65 would receive $658 a year less in Social Security benefits when he/she is 75, and $1,100 a year less at age 85. Further, the average disabled veteran would lose tens of thousands of dollars in benefits over his/her lifetime.
Please stand with me today and demand that Congress and the President oppose any grand bargain which cuts Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
When one out of four U.S. corporations pay nothing in federal income taxes; when Bush's tax breaks for the rich remain in place for many wealthy Americans; when the U.S. spends almost as much as the rest of the world combined on defense, there are much fairer and economically sound ways to address the budget than cutting programs desperately needed by the most vulnerable people in our country.
Please stand with me and Campaign for America's Future in protecting the future of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
SIGN HERE: CREDOMOBILIZE.COM
BUNNY DOES TEXAS!
SATURDAY, I SPIN AT HOTEL ZAZA IN HOUSTON FOR THEIR ANNUAL BASH.
AND THEN ONTO AUSTIN!
DOWN WITH HILLARY!
It's bad when the billionaire Koch Brothers use their $ to mastermind the government shut down, right? And it's bad when conservatives like Rupert Murdoch uses his papers to gin up hatred and racism towards Obama, right? Would it be bad if rich democrats used these same tactics? This article announces that George Soros, mega-rich democrat, will throw his support behind Hillary Clinton fro president. HUFFPO: "But symbolically, Soros' support could mean much more - particularly at a time when Clinton's supporters are seeking to ward off potential challengers to her in Democratic presidential primaries." Using money to ward off challengers so that we don't even really get a choice of democrats who challenge Hillary? I'd like to see her have challengers. But that's America, everyone is free to run for president as long as they have a few million $. Presidents often claim that taking the country to war and putting our men and women at risk is the hardest decision they ever have to make. Hillary made the wrong one about going to war in Iraq already--a drag queen like me knew there were no WMDs in Iraq yet she didn't, with all her access to intelligence reports? A clueless hawk like that doesn't sound like a good leader for a country that's war-weary.
I AM DIVINE INTERVIEW ON HUFFPO LIVE!
Director Jeffrey Schwartz, Michael Musto, Miss Longo and I chat about I AM DIVINE, the new, very fun documentary on the legendary John Waters diva. Clips are shown, but the full-length doc contains interviews with Jackie Beat, Peaches Christ, Tammie Brown, Miss Guy, Lady Bear and Holly Woodlawn! Check it out here! Fun interview. Very nutty comments by viewers....
RAVEN O AT JOES PUB THURSDAY 10/23!
Raven Oh is a riveting entertainer. He literally aplies studs and rivets on stage in his new act at Joe's Pub. They've hired him as a handy man and she thinks she's performing! Please indulge her madness and attend. It's all new show from a dear friend a fine singer and story-teller. Thursday night at Joe's Pub for just one bang 'em up performance!
MORE INFO: JOESPUB
PLEASE SIGN IF YOU AGREE!
Do you want to know why we can't get anything done on gun control in the US even after horrors like Sandy Hook? Do you want to know why Obama and Kerry just lied to us about needing to go to war in Syria? Because war and instruments of death are what this country is all about--arms are one of this country's biggest (and few remaining) exports. Just as England was criticized for selling Assad the sarin gas and then hypocritically tried to join US efforts to attack him using it, we have no idea who we're selling what to. Or what conflicts they'll create around the world or unscrupulous hands they'll fall into. What scrupulous hands are trying to buy arms in the first place? Weapons are rarely used for peace. Do you think we'll ever control the guns which are killing our kids in this country as we step up weapons sales worldwide to kill foreign kids? Learn what this "Christian" country is really about. No government shutdown will ever get in the way of arms sales. And the bumbling, inefficient Congress conveniently managed to very efficiently pass one of the biggest defense budgets ever right before they shut the government down. With nuclear weapons budgets up under Obama--as we pretend to police Iran and the rest of the world for nuclear weapons. And the US is the only country to have actually fired nukes in a war! (Talk about good cop/bad cop.) We can't spare the money for Obamacare, Social Security or Medicaid. Because war-makers and war-profiteers run things. Not we the people and not our "representatives" in the government. So if you are "war-weary" like most Americans polled who voted Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama back into office for a second term because he was drawing down wars and focusing on rebuilding America, please read this and sign if you agree. The government doesn't even think you know about it.
ROOTSACTION: The Obama administration has just taken action to seriously loosen restrictions on the sale of weapons abroad.
Tell the White House and Congress not to go down this path.
Already, the United States dominates world weapons sales, accounting for 78% of such sales in 2011. Russia is in second place with 5.6%.
Already, U.S. weapons sales are dominated by arms transactions in the Middle East, funneling weapons to such violators of human rights as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel.
Many weapons sales involve gifts of dollars from the U.S. government to a foreign government that turns around and buys from U.S. weapons makers. (A different mode is in effect with the U.S. simply giving weapons to the rebels in Syria.)
Governments fall, and alliances change, but the weapons remain. U.S.-supplied weapons wind up on both sides of conflicts, often used against civilians. At times, the tear gas canisters shot at peaceful protesters are marked "Made in the U.S.A."
Tell the White House and Congress to end foreign weapons sales, not expand them.
The Obama administration has now moved many weapons sales from the State Department to the Commerce Department, a shift that is expected to seriously reduce oversight. In a new report, William Hartung writes that "human rights groups and the Government Accountability Office have raised serious concerns over the potential for the Obama administration's reforms to undercut current laws designed to keep U.S. defense articles out of the hands of terrorists, human rights abusers, or countries or groups seeking to develop nuclear weapons."
ProPublica reports that "critics, including some who've worked on enforcing arms export laws, say the changes could undermine efforts to prevent arms smuggling to Iran and others."
What is the up-side to risking such horrors and fueling so much violence? Nothing but profits for a few unscrupulous profiteers!
Arming the world to the teeth is not a path toward peace. Please take a moment to join the movement to reverse this disastrous trend!
Please forward this email widely to like-minded friends.
SIGN HERE: ROOTSACTION
MEET TINA TURNSTILE!
David Ilku is a hero of mine for decades. Whether he's dementedly impersonating Carol Channing, Tallulah Bankhead (in the Dueling Bankheads) or his thigh-slappingly funny male characters, he's always a riot. And while his new character Tina Turnstile may not be the best impersonation of La Turner, it's meant to be gritty and off-kilter. But what it does do is hit the nail on the head with what's wrong with NYC, which is sadly becoming a global problem in every city. Corporations dominateus, can donate to campaigns as people after the Citizens United ruling, own our government, we start wars for their profit and we give them tax breaks so they can edge out the mom & pop stores which every politician in both party blabs about while campaigning as they wink at their large corporate donors who'll put small businesses out of business. All we have to do is stop patronizing them and they'll vanish. (This is advice I also need to follow since I haven't yet switched over from the diabolical Chase Bank yet.) For David to be this idiotic and simultaneously contain a powerful message is sheer brilliance in my book. We don't see much drag with brains or social commentary nowadays. Not to mention that the video was directed by Parker Posey!
PLEASE SIGN!
Do you drink Coke? Pepsi? Dr. Pepper? What about fruit juices or flavored teas? Or are snacks your guilty pleasure? Chances are you consume at least one product made by one of the soda giants, and they all have one thing in common: They all use tar sands -- one of the dirtiest sources of oil on Earth -- to fuel their massive delivery truck fleets.
They have a choice. They can say no to fuel from tar sands. But they'll only do it if we push them.
Tell Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper to clean up their acts and say NO to destructive tar sands fuel.
These three companies have a combined fleet of more than 100,000 vehicles, and all those trucks use a lot of fuel. That's why their choice of fuel can make a big difference.
Tar sands isn't just any crude oil, it's what former NASA climatologist James Hansen called "game over for the climate." The whole process -- from destroying Canada's pristine boreal forest to dig up the tar sands, to transporting and refining the muck -- creates significantly more carbon pollution than normal crude oil, and has disastrous consequences for our climate.
When companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper use fuel made from tar sands, they contribute to this environmental destruction.
That's why it's so important to keep up the pressure on corporate responsibility. Join over 55,000 activists who have already asked Coke, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper to clean up their acts.
By speaking out, consumers like you can convince these companies to take positive steps, like slashing oil use and ditching tar sands. They want to be seen as environmentally friendly, but they won't make these important changes unless you show them that consumers are paying attention. It's up to all of us to demand that they make this a priority.
SIGN: SIERRACLUB
BIRTHDAY GIRL!
Celia Cruz is ruling in her first gown and smashing turban--with ponytail! And Tito Puento (starting at 17:50 in) is beyond adorable and so entertaining!
NEXT MAG PROFILE'S OCCUPY THE DISCO
Glad to see that next mag is giving these guys some ink. In the same issue that they review Miley Cyrus's album but it's a start.
Next: If you could, what would you change about contemporary New York club culture?
Appelbaum: We’ve segregated ourselves and become entrenched in a very stagnant model over the past decade. Places like the Paradise Garage, Studio 54 and Twilo were melting pots of NYC’s night culture. It feels like we’ve become very homogeneous and music has not been the centerpiece of gay nightlife for quite some time. I would love to see us rise up again as a community, to see diversity and great music as the pinnacle of club culture—which is something we’ve striven to do with Occupy the Disco. What is funny to me is that every promoter we’ve worked with outside of the world of gay nightlife actually loves that we bring an energetic gay crowd to their traditionally “straight” parties and venues and are continually asking to work with us on making their parties more mixed.
Hães: Josh just lined out my main thought also, that nightlife should be diverse and welcoming, and mostly it should be a channel for artists and DJs to connect with music-loving crowds. I believe everyone should feel comfortable and take a night out dancing as an opportunity to express who they are and how they feel. When people go out focused on finding a hookup and not to experience the music, nightlife becomes boring and segregated and loses a lot of its cultural relevance. Right now, there are places for twinks, places for bears, for hipsters, etc.—but very few for new music. Fortunately that is slowly changing and people are starting to come together again for the music at parties that are very mixed, like Mister Sunday. Oh, and one other thing I’d change: no more bottle service!
Bhatt: I agree. NYC club culture has become so promoter specific that we’ve segregated ourselves into boredom. No one cares about the music anymore, they’re too focused on getting drunk, hooking up and showing off. Nightlife used to be place for you to experiment and experience the unknown. Now everyone wants to know exactly what to expect, thereby killing the fun in the element of surprise. If you focus on the music then it allows people from all walks of life to enjoy and experience it together, creating a new and culturally enriching adventure every night on the town.
MORE: NEXTMAGAZINE.COM
SOME GAY SF HISTORY!
Don't let the beginning with Obama's stool pigeon/hawk Diane Feinstein turn you off. Sister Boom Boom has a lot to say as "nun of the above." A little gay history--she's a hoot!
1983 DJ SET FROM THE ANVIL!
HIGH ENERGY DISCO SETS WITH SOME REAL GEMS BY DJ DAVID ANTONY! It was a cheesy time for gay disco but not as cheesy as the cocks in the basement sex club!
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD BOTH PARTS: MLOTTTHEFRIDGE.PODOMATIC.COM
VOTE FOR ME! VOTE FOR ME!
Ranker.com is tallying up who is the Best Drag Queen. I don't care if I'm the best and prefer to think that we can all be good, but I'd still love to be in the running! I don't usually ask this, but couldja click below and vote LADY BUNNY? THANKS!
VOTE HERE: RANKER.COM
NEWS FLASH: DOGS COME FROM SATAN AND HAVE NO BRAINS!
USA: GOING UP IN SMOKE? I HOPE SO!
58% now support legalizing marijuana! Maybe Obama will have another "epiphany" about weed like the one he had when polls supported gay marriage. Not to suggest that he's out of touch or refuses to do with what the majority of us want, but this former pot-smoker has waged the war on drugs more aggressively than George Bush. His hypocrisy is right out front in this, hurting men of color most for offenses involving tiny amounts of marijuana, but we still refuse to acknowledge even an obvious failure like this one. Of course, his "leadership" can't follow opinion polls if you don't even have an opinion as to whether or not his policies make any sense. And this one doesn't.
This is from 2012, by the director of the Drug Policy Alliance.
"But the president has been losing lots of hearts and minds, especially those of young voters, with his striking silence on marijuana issues since he became president -- apart from providing lame excuses for the federal government's aggressive undermining of state medical marijuana laws.
Most disappointing is his failure to say a word as president about the fact that half of all drug arrests each year are for nothing more than possessing a small amount of marijuana, which is something Barack Obama did lots of in his younger days, or to offer any critical comments about the stunning racial disproportionality in marijuana arrests around the country.
Roughly twice as many people are arrested for marijuana possession now as were arrested in the early 1980s, even though the number of people consuming marijuana is no greater now than then. If police had been as keen on making marijuana arrests back then, it's quite possible that a young man named Barry Obama would have landed up with a criminal record -- and even more likely that he would not have his current job.
With 50 percent of Americans -- and 57 percent of Democrats -- now in favor of legalizing marijuana use, according to Gallup's most recent poll, President Obama needs to come clean once again about marijuana -- but this time he needs to speak not of his own youthful use but rather of the harmful consequences of today's punitive marijuana policies for young Americans today."
MORE: HUFFPO
I'M SAD TO REPORT THIS!
I am deeply disturbed and saddened by a recent event. I just caught a glimpse of myself nude in the mirror. Actually, I'm serious. A dear friend has been diagnosed with cancer. She's been given about six years to live and her cancer came on very aggressively. Her persistent cough turned into lung cancer and is quickly spreading, requiring hospitalization. Often a selfless person, she urged everyone to get checked up regularly for even a recurring cough, and also had a message she hoped I'd share.
My friend's cancer is a result of exposure from radon which was released at 9/11. Dig this: she lives in the East Village/Lower East Side--not even near the Towers. Women are particularly susceptible to this cancer--even younger ones--and one woman had already died from radon-induced lung cancer because she wasn't strong enough to take the treatments. Donna Summer died of this same lung cancer. Apparently, Donna freaked out after 9/11 and stayed home a lot--residing near the still-poisonous WTC.
I felt horrible for my friend, especially after realizing that I was grieving more for Donna Summer than her--KIDDING! Is this the same radon that could leak out of the Spectra natural gas pipes which were they just had a protest about on this past Saturday? (When these gas pipes have leaked in other areas, radon has been the main problem--though the pipes aren't usually place in areas as densely populated as Manhattan/NJ. Or in affluent neighborhoods.) I remember officials were warning 9/11 rescue workers about respiratory ailments from dust and asbestos. There was cancer-causing radon gas there, too? What else that we might want to know about? Because the East Village is not that near Ground Zero. If everyone that far away or closer is affected, this is going to be a multiple mess for many! Already is, if you ask my friend.
So I look online to see what radon is and it's a colorless, odorless gas which often seeps out of soil or in our homes and is most prevalent in basements. So anyone with a home is susceptible to radon-induced cancer? Who knew?
My friend says she received a letter from the World Trade Center Organization which sounded like an invitation to tea at Saks Fifth Avenue. The organization, a branch of the government, let her know that it's paying for all of her treatments. What is the connection between the Towers exploding and radon? Was a lot of it released, trapped in those huge buildings that fell? Radon can be naturally occurring, but it's radioactive and the second biggest cause of lung cancer after smoking. I don't want to freak anyone out, but I do want to alert you a clear danger. A friend has stage 4 cancer which is spreading and The World Trade Center Organization is paying her medical bills. It's hard to trust anyone nowadays, with our government bought and sold by industries which make profit from many things which are bad for our health: war, sugar, drugs, tobacco, alcohol, genetically modified foods, oil with disastrous spills like BP's incident in the Gulf, etc. We certainly can't trust the government to protect us if somebody can make a coin off hurting us. And if the below passage from Wikipedia is to be believed, that skunk Giuliani was so eager to reopen the trading on Wall Street within 3 days of 9/11 that he lied about the safety of the air. At the urging of the delightful George W. Bush.
I'm very alarmed right now. I don't want to send people rushing to buy radon testing kits for their homes (even though I will letcha know they are commercially available) or to pointless doctors' visits over mild coughs. But I'd also prefer not to see you in the hospital with an aggressive cancer which seems to be stemming from 9/11 and if there's any accidents, a new pipeline in Chelsea. Unlike people, radon lives for millions of years! I'm sure some of you will say, "Whatever! You can walk outside in perfect health and get hit by a bus." That's very true, but for those of us that hasn't happened to yet, we might want to acquaint ourselves with a VERY real danger in NYC. At least I have the wigs should cancer come calling!
WIKIPEDIA: Alleged government downplaying of health risks
Critics assert that government officials – notably Bush, Christine Todd Whitman (former head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency), and then-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani – downplayed the health risks of the area and rushed to reopen the area around Ground Zero, although this posed a grave and immediate health risk to first responders. Many corporations were eager to hear the news of the New York Stock Exchange being reopened only a few days after the collapse. On June 25, 2007, Whitman testified before a House of Representatives committee chaired by Jerrold Nadler. She said that a White House official informed her that President Bush expected that the Financial District would reopen within three days, that is, by September 14. She said that she replied that this would be cumbersome, since the EPA was still judging the health situation in the area. Investigations after the attacks suggest that the Bush administration pressured Whitman and Giuliani to provide health reassurances in order to keep Wall Street operating
Statements by Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Two days after the collapse of the World Trade Center, mayor Giuliani said, "The air is safe as far as we can tell, with respect to chemical and biological agents." Giuliani, in attempting to deflate New York Daily News journalist Juan Gonzalez' reportage of the 9/11 air issue, claimed that "the problems created… are not health-threatening." In the first month after the attacks, the mayor said, "The air quality is safe and acceptable."
In November 2001, Giuliani wrote to the city's Congressional delegation and urged that the city's liability for Ground Zero illnesses be limited, in total, at $350 million. Two years after Mayor Giuliani finished his term, FEMA appropriated $1 billion to a special insurance fund to protect the city against 9/11 lawsuits.
In a September 18, 2006 New York Daily News article titled, "Rudy's Black Cloud: WTC health risks may hurt Prez Bid", Sally Regenhard, mother of Firefighter Christian Regenhard, who died on September 11, is quoted, "There's a large and growing number of both FDNY families, FDNY members, former and current, and civilian families who want to expose the true failures of the Giuliani administration when it comes to 9/11."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_effects_arising_from_the_September_11_attacks
DOLLY PARTON RAPS
Dolly is so cute and lovable that she makes everything fun. Latifah is extremely appealing, too. Almost makes you forget that this is (quite possibly) a closet dyke with almost disfiguring facial surgery rapping about her huge jugs to another closet dyke who chopped her tits off.
WORSHIP CHI CHI LARUE'S WIG NOW!
WORST VERSION OF AND I AM TELLING YOU EVER!
There's another very weird rendition of this Jennifer Holliday classic sung by a white pageant girl. But this one is way worse. And as if the notes weren't off enough, they make some rotten edits to the song--which should never be touched!
WATCH: FACEBOOK.COM
HELLOWE'EN ISSUES!
Child, you know we dragoons call Hallowe'en "Amateur Night" since we dress up and act a fool year round. But this year I've been bitten by the bug and I've think I've hit on the perfect costume which requires no make-up and a costume which I can buy right off any department store rack. I'm going as a 6 year old very petite, pretty asian girl with gorgeous skin and tiny feet.
I MADE THE MISTAKE OF WATCHING THE VOICE
I'd never seen The Voice until last night. In truth, I haven't watched any tv other than the news and TCM in decades. But I was shocked by what a moronic show it is. I was with a Cher fan who had taped the episode on which she appeared. Despite the fact that Cher changed wigs from black to reddish blond in the 2 short, lackluster, clips she appeared in, you then kept watching the 2 hour fiasco hoping for more. You got none.
What you did get was the insanely dull host Carson Daly, who is clearly so bored that he can't even pretend to be interested or excited or even crack a smile. He used to have a little charm before he lost weight, didn't he? The lighting is frightful. The rules difficult to understand. Barely introduced not famous hosts occasionally appear--one red haired guy was brought in for 1 line of mentoring? What's the point?
But the craziest thing is show itself. We love competition to such an unhealthy degree that every single show has to be a one. Who can lose the most weight, model, sew, cook, shove bugs in their mouth or compete for the love of Flavor Flav. This obsession with contests in lieu of a plot (which would require writers!) would explain why The Voice was created to copycat American Idol and X Factor. But it one ups them. The judges actually compete as well as the contestants! How pathetic! Is no one noticing or caring that with every two contestants, the judges are evenly split? So that the last vote is always to decision-maker? Each time they say how hard the decision is or how making this decision makes them hate their jobs. And both contestants are always praised out the wazoo. Can't they ever just say "You can't sing as well as her--you're gone"? Is that too cruel for America to digest? And if it's close enough but they still must choose one, they can resurrect the loser by "stealing" them. I have a very hard time believing that these judges give a hoot about any of the contestants and their answers seem totally pre-planned out every time. And what a stupid idea to have two people sing one song at one time. Of course, producers don't want to pay clearance rights for any more songs than they have to. So doubling up the singers on one song is cheaper and it allows them to focus more on the contestants' back stories and the horrible build-up with meaningless thoughts from mentors--in 2 painful hours there's hardly any singing compared to judging, walking down aisles with game faces on and Carson's painful emceeing. If The Voice is giving America what it wants then America really loves sh(t.
HEE HEE!
FOR THE HOOKER ON THE GO!
OBAMA HAS FOUND JESUS IN TIMES OF TROUBLE?
What kind of propaganda is this? Clearly orchestrated by Obama supporters in the press who are eager to make the president seem more churchgoing like the rest of us folks. And not a muslim, for the conservative morons idiots who still can't (or simply won't) get around his middle name. The article claims Obama has been private about his spiritual side, until now, when tough times have forced him toward prayer. For those of us who are very concerned about the direction the country is going in and who also don't believe in god but do believe firmly in the separation of church and state, this ain't good news. He turns to ancient abstract teachings from a book which frequently contradicts itself and that's going to solve the complex problems of the US in 2013? Maybe he could have helped Hurricane Sandy victims by suggesting that they walk on water. I would love to see a few burning Bush's.
Obama told the National Prayer Breakfast that he searches the scripture to best determine how to balance life as a president, husband and father. Sadly, his talk of balance falls upon deaf ears at the National Prayer Breakfast. That annual event is thrown by conservative think-tank The Family who helped Uganda develop it's Kill The Gays law. Murder--how very christian of them. I think it's a slap in the face to the fact-based community that any president, and all of them do annually, dignify The Family with an appearance, much less a speech about balance.
This article claims that the president's spiritual advisors often weave literary influences like Maya Angelou and C. S Lewis with the biblical passages to give the president additional inspiration. Hmmm, did they forget to add George Orwell's 1984? I don't recall any references in scriptures, Angelou or C. S. Lewis about using government facilities for aggressively spying on US citizens without their knowledge. Or increasing deadly drone attacks, as Obama has done by 200% since he took over from Bush. But surely some of the simpler teachings like Jesus feeding the poor and Thou Shalt Not Kill must be covered by his advisors. Actually, no. Obama's about to approve of billions of cuts in food stamps at a time when families with two incomes need them to survive. So that we don't have to cut our bloated defense budget and we always maintain enough budget to fight bogus wars in Syria he tried to sell us on. Feeding the poor, not so much. Obama's publicists can blabber on as much as they wish about what the frequency that Obama hears the Bible. Maybe he needs better advisors and he'd some of those teachings would sink in and translate into kinder policies. Instead of just paying them lip service.
MORE: HUFFPO
NEW BOY GEORGE ALBUM OUT SOON!
SPENDS $100,000 ON SURGERY TO LOOK LIKE BIEBER
BUT I'M ALSO SEEING A LITTLE BRUCE JENER!
MORE: HUFFPO
GOOD NEWS!
Good news from Courage Campaign: "You demanded that WGBH -- the country’s largest, most influential PBS station -- free itself from the corrupting influence of the Koch Brothers, and this past week we delivered the message in style! Dozens of activists from Courage Campaign and our partner Forecast the Facts were all over the Boston papers, including the front page of the Boston Herald.(1) They presented our petition with more than 120,000 signatures to the WGBH Board of Trustees. One was wearing an Elmo costume, which really caught the media's attention.
WGBH cannot create scientific programs like NOVA, which spread knowledge on important issues like climate change, while it also has a prominent climate change denier and flagrant polluter on its Board." (FYI: The Koch brothers also funded the Tea Party and the shut down.)
ROSELAND CLOSING?
A premiere concert venue since 1952! Why pay to go there when you can youtube it for free because of dunces who "enjoy" concerts by taping them in thir entirety in order to get more "likes" on their fan pages.
MORE: WORLDOFWONDER
WE'VE SUNK SO LOW
Believe whatever you want, but if you aren't secure enough in your beliefs to permit others to have their own, you try crap like this. I'm from Tennessee, the state underneath Kentucky's southern border, and even I am shocked by this madness.
Atheists can be jailed in Kentucky for not acknowledging God
MORE: DIGITALJOURNAL.COM
NO BUSINESS LIKE SHAWL BUSINESS
MICHAEL MUSTO'S FACEBOOK STATUS: I just saw an article about how actresses over 40 are ruling Hollywood because (A) They look great (B) Not enough comparable younger talents have come around. Also, it looks like movies are putting more of a spotlight on mature female characters. After all, the Oscar frontrunners are:
Meryl Streep, 64
Sandra Bullock 49
Emma Thompson, 54
Cate Blanchett, 44
Judi Dench 78.
There are some younger foreign actresses in contention, but they might very well get squeezed out by these formidable dames. This is heartening.
ALWAYS LOVE IT WHEN BOY GEORGE DOES REGGAE
LIKE HIS COVER OF EVERYTHING I OWN AND HIS FIRST HIT DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME? HERE'S A TEASER OF A NEW JAM:
GRRRR!
I would never hurt a child. But if my heavy bag were to fall on this squawking brat's mother who made the mistake of sitting on the quiet car of this train, I guess they'd have to dump them both off at the next station, wouldn't they?
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM, ANYONE?
You know how right wing Republican politicians will say something like "Obama's a foreign muslim" or "Women who are raped should be forced to carry the child of their rapist?" Then they'll actually raise money for their campaigns from the sickos who identify with their bizarre statements. Well, now that the government is up and running again, I'm getting tons of emails from Howard Dean and other Democrats who want me to thank the party for standing strong against the Tea Party. They want me to thank them with dollars for finally doing their job and standing up to something which was clearly insane. Only my money can encourage them to maybe do the right thing again. 70% of people polled have a negative opinion of the Tea Party after this debacle, but politicians think we'll all forget this pointless, ugly episode by the next election unless our money is used to campaign for Democrats.
So by law, we must pay taxes to fund the government. Now we should also donate to the one party with enough sense to keep the government functioning? The Tea Party, resistance to Obamacare and this shutdown were the brainchildren of and funded by the conservative billionaire Koch Brothers. The 6 Walmart heirs are worth as much as the bottom 40% of the whole country earns. Can a cash-strapped, recession-riddled America ever afford to give anywhere near as much as these fat-cats? I'll trust the politician who says get money out of our elections. Obama said so once--remember the address when he scolded members of the Supreme Court for their Citizens United ruling and that Justice Samuel Alito seemed to call him a liar? The Citizens United ruling made corporations able to donate as if they were people, allowing unlimited campaign contributions made from undisclosed donors even from outside the United States! Sadly, Obama forgot about campaign finance reform before he ran for reelection. And then flip-flopped on the issue wildly:
SALON.COM
More money isn't the answer. Who wants to pay for a mere shift in a system which needs a complete overhaul? Truth is free. Here's a group called PFAW which seeks to elect progressives and hold politicians accountable. And it isn't just this crazy drag queen recommending it. Alec Baldwin and Norman Lear are on the board or directors. Get money out of politics or expect more hostage-taking. I just signed up to meet with a NY Senator to lobby against Citizens United and amend the Constitution. Here's what you can do-the fights' coming to NY state and has won in 500 cities already!
The movement to amend the Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court’s disastrous decisions like Citizens United v. FEC is well underway … and is headed to New York!
Since the 5-4 conservative majority of the Court handed down its Citizens United decision, over 500 cities and towns and 16 states have passed resolutions calling for a constitutional amendment to enact free and fair elections and redefine the role of corporate power in American democracy.
We need you to join the movement in New York! Our government is broken, consistently sold off to the highest bidder. The time has come to mobilize and amend the Constitution to fix it -- just as we did in the past for the right to vote and for the abolition of slavery.
Constitutional amendments are warranted in only the most extreme circumstances. This is one of them.
We’ll help you through the process: providing you with talking points on the need for an amendment; connecting you to activists in your district; and helping you secure the meeting in your Senator’s district office. Together, we’ll set the stage for the 2014 legislative session.
In New York, a state that leads the country in political trends, the stakes couldn’t be higher. If New York calls for a constitutional amendment, the momentum added to our movement would be enormous.
Sign up to today to lead a meeting with your State Senator on the need for constitutional remedies to take back our democracy!
PFAW.ORG
HYSTERICAL! AND GREAT ACTING!
ARE THESE TURDS IN YOUR DISTRICT? CALL THEM OUT!
7 Democrats decided to become turncoats, and betray the Democratic Party by aligning with the Republican Party on a bill that would prevent the government from reopening by anybody but Eric Cantor. They include the following:
Ron Barber (AZ-2)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Dan Maffei (NY-24)
Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18)
Jim Matheson (UT-4)
Mike McIntyre (NC-7)
Collin Peterson (MN-7)
SPREAD THEIR SHAME.
In a time when Democrats were by and large united against Republican efforts to destroy America, these 7 “Democrats” betrayed the people. Now that they have been called out, they have been Tweeting trying to cover their tracks.
For example, Rep. Jim Matheson tweeted, “If up for a vote, I’d support a clean CR. While current discussions are on a 6 wk proposal, I believe we need a long term solution.”
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney tweeted, “I joined my colleagues on the House Floor to demand a vote on the Senate-passed funding bill that would end…”
And Rep. Dan Maffei tweeted, “The gov’t shutdown is not a time for political games. I support the Democratic discharge petition for a ‘clean’ CR.”
Strong words from people of weak character. They are just as guilty as any Republican for the shutdown, and the resulting effects of it. If you live in one of these Representative districts, you must start to primary them with somebody who will stand firm for the Democratic Party, and not run to the Republican Party the minute they see an opportunity. It is because of politicians like these 7 that the Democratic Party was perceived as weak during the Bush years. Our Party has grown leaps and bounds from that time, and there is no going back now.
MORE: OCCUPYDEMOCRATS
WHAT AN ENTRANCE!
This is why I never clean my floors--they develop a tack which prevents this!
HOME ON THE ROAD
2 and a half weeks on the road--San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Key West were good to Bunion. Now one night in my own bed before headed to Philly in the morning. Singing for my supper and ya know I likes ta eat!
NO POLITICIANS ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS
EVERY ONE OF THEM SHOULD BE!
CATS THAT LOOK LIKE STRIPPERS
HELLO KITTY'S HALLOWE'EN COSTUME!
BEST MAKE-UP TUTORIAL EVER!
YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT THESE ARE USED FOR!
Jews fasing for Yom Kippur who are craving caffeine! They can't ingest it during their fast but they can shove it up their ass! INSANE!
OREOS AS ADDICTIVE AS COCAINE?
THANKS, AL FRANKEN!
Something that Republicans and Democrats both give out freely--tax breaks to corporations who ship jobs overseas. No wonder we don't have enough jobs in the US. This is a no-brainer yet Al Franken is the only one acting on it? Please support on of the few Congressmen actually working for working people and sign this!
"Handing out tax breaks to reward big corporations for taking jobs away from Americans isn’t just not a good use of taxpayer money, it’s a spectacularly bad use of taxpayer money. It’s an insane thing to do. And we should stop doing it — right now.
I mean, really.
Signed,
Al Franken"
SIGN: ALFRANKEN.COM
DRAGS PROMOTE TO WONG FOO ON ROLONDA!
PLEASE SIGN!
ust got this email asking me to sign a petition thanking my Rep. Jerrold Nadler for standing strong against the GOP in these idiotic shut down talks. Good for him! Democrats have become so spineless that we now have to thank them, and as this petition urges, pledge donations if they are to continue to stand strong against GOP budget cuts to Social Security and Medicaid. I don't feel that we should have to pay for our own representatives to stand strong. Our taxes already pay their salaries for them to what... DO OUR BIDDING! But here's where it gets tricky. OBAMA has already proposed cutting Social Security because he's more of a Republican than a Democrat on many issues. And it's very difficult for Democrats in Congress to go against the president when he's acting like a Republican because they are expected to tow the party line--even when Obama has blurred the traditional role of the two parties. (Democrats never want to cut Social security and there's n need to: it's solvent for decades! But they just went against Obama when they told him that they wouldn't support his baseless, hawkish military strikes in Syria. So while it's sad that Democrats have to stand up to our "Democratic" president who acts like a Republican, they do. And they can't so it without their constituents getting involved and saying PLEASE DON'T CUT SOCIAL SECURITY. But something which all Republicans and turncoat Democrats like Obama want. If Nadler is your representative in the House and you care about Social Security, could you please sign this? Otherwise, Obama will exert great pressure on him to fall in line with the Democratic party that Obama has led into the dirt. If Nadler isn't your rep, please find out by adding your zip code who it is and contact them saying no cuts to services...or prepare to lose the benefits you've paid for. Since America is sick of war, cut the defense budget, not benefits we've paid into for decades! This isn't even a progressive or bold notion: most Americans in both parties don't want these programs cut. But our politicians have gone so far to the right that defense (in a time of relative peace) rules over our benefits that are promised to us.
BOLDPROGRESSIVES.ORG: On Sunday, ABC's George Stephanopoulos declared that Republicans are "trying to negotiate terms of surrender."
Pretty great, isn't it? This confirms what progressives have been saying for a long time: When Democrats fight with backbone, they win!
Rep. Jerrold Nadler stood united with his colleagues to stare down Tea Party extremists during the shutdown.
Sign our card thanking Rep. Nadler for standing firm -- and promise to stand with him against any Republican "deal" that cuts Social Security or Medicare benefits.
It looks like the government will re-open with Republicans basically getting nothing. But they will get a promise to talk with Democrats about the budget in November and December.
Last week, Paul Ryan announced the budget "deal" he will push as House Budget Chair -- cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits.
Unfortunately, the White House proposed Social Security cuts in their own budget, and there will likely be pressure on Democrats in Congress to go along.
Cutting Social Security or Medicare benefits would hurt seniors and veterans throughout New York. It would also be political suicide for Democrats just as taking back the House has come within reach.
Jerrold Nadler deserves to know his constituents thank him for standing firm during the shutdown -- and will stand with him in opposing Paul Ryan's "deal" to cut Social Security and Medicare.
Thank Rep. Nadler for standing firm -- and promise to stand with him against cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits.
We will deliver your note to him this week.
SIGN HERE: BOLDPROGRESSIVES.ORG
THIS BOOGEY MAN IS A WOMAN!
The comments are insane. Here's one of the weirder takes:
Da fuck???&muhfuckas always talking about they want a white chick to suck they dick mess around and have a sinus infection on the dick
I LOVE THE INFLATABLE CONCERT HALL!
THE GREAT ED ASNER
Moveon.org is claiming that this great short voiced by Ed Asner has outraged Republicans. It's basically a story of how the rich stay rich by buying media to trick us and buying politicians to do their bidding, which is never in the interest of most people's economic interests. It's a well told short that explains a lot--but look at the the spin that even a liberal democratic group puts on it: Republicans are outraged over it because it pulls back the curtain back on how they operate. Point that finger over to Democrats, too. Moveon.org knows good and well that Democrats are bought and sold by the wealthy and corporate interests. And they are helping the wealthy not pay their share of taxes. Does no one remember that Obama just won reelection claiming he'd raise taxes on those making $250,000 and up? We cheered when we heard that and voted him back in. He got in and immediately raised that number to those making over $400,000 a year. Both parties work for the rich. Meanwhile, average Americans' dreams are dying with foreclosures, kids unable to afford education and seniors skipping their medications some days to better make ends meet. This fantastic video explains a lot, but most Democrats including Obama should be shamed by this as well a Republicans.
WATCH: MOVEON.ORG
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